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The new Congress will be the most diverse ever

Ryan Teague Beckwith, Digital First Media

Posted:
01/03/2013 09:09:50 AM CST

Updated:
01/03/2013 09:51:41 AM CST

FILE -This July 28, 2011 file photo shows the Capitol Dome on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democrats controlling the Senate are pressing for money to immediately repair the iconic dome of the U.S. Capitol, which has fallen into disrepair and has at least 1,300 cracks in it. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) (J. Scott Applewhite)

The 113th Congress will be the most diverse ever

The 113th Congress will be the most diverse in U.S. history, though it still lags behind the changing demographics of the country.

The 113th Congress will be the most diverse in U.S. history, though it still lags behind the changing demographics of the country. Below, a look at some of the firsts among the new senators and representatives.

First Buddhist senator

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Photo courtesy of Mazie Hirono.

Mazie Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, will succeed retiring Sen. Daniel Akaka. Raised in the Jodo Shinshu school of Pure Land Buddhism, she considers herself a non-practicing Buddhist.